Temperatures set to drop next week

TWO WEEKS of hellish conditions reached its peak on Saturday as Wagga broke the 45-degree (Celcius) mark for the first time in history.The previous high of 44.8C, set in 2001, melted away as the mercury reached 45.2C about 2.50pm.There was little respite throughout the day on Sunday with the low of 28.5C – just 0.1 degrees off breaking the highest minimum record set back in 1943. Temperatures again soared yesterday with a high of 42 degrees and will again today before a cool change moves through.Wagga has now suffered through a record 14 consecutive days of temperatures above 35 and the last four have been above 40.Temperatures are expected to drop to 28 tomorrow and 27 on Wednesday and Thursday before returning to the mid-30s at the weekend.Both junior and senior cricket was cancelled on Saturday together with lawn bowls and softball, the Albury races got through three races before being called off while Carathool braved the heat to complete its meeting.Bureau of Meteorology technical officer John Darnley said the weather was due to strong hot winds from central Australia.“This prolonged heatwave is a result of strong north-westerly winds which bring hot and dry conditions from central Australia,” he said.“The winds also create an extreme fire danger which has resulted in the Victorian bushfires.“Thankfully we can expect consistently lower temperatures for a while beginning (tomorrow) with expected tops of about 28 degrees.”Albury and Griffith joined Wagga in topping the 45-degree mark, while Gundagai reached 44, Temora hit 43 and Cootamundra enjoyed a relatively mild 42 degrees.While temperatures are expected to drop this week there is still little sign of rain in the near future with the last fall (16mms) recorded on Wednesday, January 21.